COLUMBIA, S.C. — Are you a repressed romance fiction fan?

Take a quick quiz:

1. Are you happier when the hero expresses total remorse for all wrongdoings toward his lady and pledges his undying love than when he saves the world and upends the villains?

2. Do you read the ending of a book first to make sure it has a happy ending?

3. Do you get madder when a character is unfaithful than when he kills someone?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you'll probably enjoy romance fiction.

And you're in good company. According to a market research done by the Romance Writers of America in 2005, romance fiction accounts for more than $1.2 billion in sales every year and is the best-seller among popular fiction sold, comprising 39.3 percent of that market (followed by mystery/thrillers at 29.6 percent).

Nearly 55 percent of all paperbacks sold are romances.

Furthermore, 64.6 million Americans read at least one romance book in 2004 — which was 13.5 million more readers than in 2002.

While some men do read romance fiction — about 22 percent of the genre's readers are male, according to the Romance Writers study — the majority of the romance audience is women.

"I have a theory," says Susan Elizabeth Phillips, a seven-time New York Times best-selling romance author. "I think these are the stories women used to tell each other around the campfire. These are primal stories. ... We're biologically drawn to them."

These are books that readers enjoy, stories that churn their emotions and leave them smiling at the end. They're not educational, although men could learn a few things about women from them and you might pick up a few interesting facts along the way. They don't try to broaden your social conscience, enlighten you about political injustices or shock you.

They're simply fun and entertaining.

"We're talking about all the good stuff," Phillips says. "We're talking about love and family and having babies."

And that's why romance fiction has endured for generations with basically the same format.

"They're fundamentally satisfying to readers," author Lisa Plumley says. "In a romance novel, love really does conquer all, and that's a wonderful thing in the modern world."

And while the basic format has remained true all this time — woman meets man, falls in love, lives happily ever after — the genre has broadened through the years and now includes romance suspense, vampire romances, paranormal romance, science fiction romance.

"There are so many stories you can tell within the framework of a romance novel," Phillips says. "There's almost nothing you can't do within this genre."

Perhaps that's because romance authors have gone so many years without notice from the literary world. Even today, many book reviewers skip romance fiction, and some who call themselves serious readers refuse to even try the genre.

"Romance novels have made it onto the shelves of the public library, but they will probably never gain much respect in the literary world," says Jayne Ann Krentz, a romance author who has had more than 40 New York Times best-sellers. "But I don't take it personally because the truth is popular fiction in general gets very little respect from the literary establishment."

Perhaps remaining in the shadows has given romance writers more freedom.

"For so long, we as authors were free to do anything we wanted," says Phillips, sharing a theory she attributes to a friend and fellow author. "Romance writers tend to be pretty fearless and will plow into territory where no one has gone before."

Meanwhile, many critics who don't read romance fiction like to make fun of the genre. They call if formulaic.

"Sure, there are common elements to all romance novels, genre conventions similar to those found in mystery and science fiction stories," Plumley responds. "After all, those are the elements our core readership is turning the pages for.

"But writing a genre novel is a lot like baking: Everyone might start with butter, flour, sugar and eggs, but ... the result could be anything from cake to cookies to bread to waffles. All different. All delicious."

Some men turn away from the books because women are always the ones in control.

Well, yeah.

"The romance genre is the one genre women can go to time and again and be assured that they will always find books that put women at the heart of the story," Krentz says. "A romance novel is always the heroine's story. She is never just a side character who stands around looking sexy while the hero shoots the bad guys. She is the star of the show."